Fr Joe D' Souza, pastor at the Church of St John the Evangelist, performs the deed every year. For him, ““animals break all religious barriers” and “helped many people cope with the lockdown during the pandemic.”
Mumbai (AsiaNews) – Fr Joe D'Souza, pastor at the Church of St John the Evangelist in Mumbai, has blessed animals on the Sunday following the feast of St Francis for more than twenty years.
He does so for the animals of both Christians and non-Christians because, he explains, “animals break all religious barriers”.
Indeed, he did it again yesterday with the pets that 12 Catholic and 10 non-Christian families brought to him.
“Saint Francis is known as the saint of God’s creation and the patron saint of the environment,” the clergyman explained.
“Your creator loves you,” said the clergyman as he blessed the animals. “He has made you holy and has always protected you. Go in peace and may God's blessing be with you, always.”
"Last year churches were closed because of the COVID-19 emergency and we could not perform the deed,” Fr D'Souza told AsiaNews.
“Animals have helped many people cope with the lockdown during the pandemic, offering companionship and filling in for those relationships that we missed so much,” he added.
For him, “Animals are wonderful creatures of God. It is He who has given us the ability to enter into a relationship with them.”
Finally, “So many people told me how this has helped them reduce anxiety. Animals offer us a lot without asking for anything in return.”